ADVISORS & CONSULTANTS

EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

Irv Smalls, Jr. is the Executive Director of FC Harlem L.I.O.NS (Leaders In Our Neighborhoods), a youth development and soccer program whose mission is to use the world’s game as a vehicle to transform communities from the inside out, by empowering youth of color to have the pride and power to be fearless leaders in life.
Irv is a leading thought leader on soccer and youth development in urban communities in the United States. He attended Penn State University and Dickinson Law School. At Penn State, Irv played tight end for the Nittany Lions Football Team which went undefeated in 1994, winning the Big Ten Conference and 1995 Rose Bowl.
Irv’s goal when he took over leadership of FC Harlem was to create opportunities for more youth of color in Harlem. Under Irv’s guidance, FC Harlem has become one of the most recognized youth sports organizations and brands in the country. He has been successful in attracting the attention and support of some of the biggest names in the soccer industry including MLS, Pele, David Beckham, Tim Howard and several professional teams. In 2015 Irv structured a partnership with Premier League club, Chelsea FC to help build a one of a kind covered youth soccer field in Harlem. Additionally, the organization has received recognition from public figures and celebrities such as President Clinton and Bush, celebrity chefs Alexander Smalls and Marcus Samuelsson and Michael Davies of Men In Blazers.
Irv’s accomplishments in improving opportunities for youth of color through soccer have led to speaking engagements including, the First Lady’s Partnership for a Healthier America Inaugural Summit in 2011 and the Ford Foundation in 2014. In July 2014, Smalls was invited to the White House to participate in the formal findings of President Obama’s Task Force for the My Brother’s Keeper Initiative for improving outcomes for youth of color and returned in 2015 for the White House Briefing on African American Leadership.
Irv has also been featured in several print, television and online media outlets from CNN, Fox Business, BBC Radio and The New York Times. Prior to FC Harlem, Irv worked in Business and Legal Affairs at Major League Soccer from 2000 until 2007. In Philadelphia he worked as a Victim/Court Advocate for Victim Witness Services of South Philadelphia and then in Business Affairs for McKissack & McKissack, the oldest minority architectural firm in the country.